Dear Reader,
Good morning,
I have completed reading the book *LIVING THE HERO'S JOURNEY* by Will Craig.
*Lessons learnt:*
*You Were Born to Flourish:*
In an age where people look outward for direction and upward for inspiration, Living the Hero’s Journey provides a time-honored template for looking inward and going deep for the answers we all seek.
In fact, the Hero’s Journey is in our genes—good and evil, love and loss, life and death. In this book, we are living that journey on a quest for personal growth and development. We are hardwired for adopting and adapting to the challenges of life, and for deciphering and discovering our destiny. At our best, we are living the Hero’s Journey.
*If we cannot find joy in the journey, there will be no delight in the destination*
Our journey will come with many tests and trials, coupled with our fair share of allies and enemies. We’ll not only meet our demons and dragons but get to name them. Recognizing the dragon that has held us back—the one that breathes fire in our mind—has dominated our subconscious thinking long enough. Naming our dragon (e.g., self-doubt, fear, conformity) is the first step in taking our power back.
*Similar to the police officer motto, “to protect and serve,” the maxim of the hero is “to serve and sacrifice.”*
*Destiny:* Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a predetermined fate but a culmination of how we choose to live our lives.
This section helps us discover the hero within and challenges us to truly be the hero of our lives.
*Hero’s Inner Journey:*
Along the path, we meet friends, allies, and enemies, as well as a protective advisor and mentor.
The hero steps into the “special world” and onto the road of trials to face tests and transformative confrontations. Without the perils of fate, the hero cannot discover their destiny. Without risk and challenges, there are no rewards and no fulfillment. Slaying dragons, both external and internal, is all in a day’s work for our page-turning adventurer.
*The ordeal* is a metaphor for the reawakening of the hero. In the process, we discover the treasure of enlightened knowledge and are bestowed with the reward of newfound wisdom.
The hero returns to the ordinary world with the treasure of *transformation.*
To achieve life mastery and be worthy of a life well lived, we must take action,ownership, and responsibility for our choices.
*Lights, Camera, Action!:*
You are the hero of your life. Who else could be? in the movie that is your life, you’re it. You are responsible for what happens—and what doesn’t. You decide who gets cast in which roles and even the lines you speak. Ultimately, you determine how well you do at the box office of life.You are constantly bettering your skills and becoming stronger with each increasingly difficult challenge. You are the hero of your life!
*EVOLVING SELF-DISCOVERY:*
The stages of the hero’s inner journey include awareness, change, and renewal. We become aware of a need for change and can consciously accept the call for change, or we can refuse the call. Taking ownership of the need for change plants the seeds for growth and renewal in our subconscious.
*HERO:* In the classic definition, a hero is someone who gives their life to something bigger than themselves. The journey is one of initiation, of awakening an inner power of spiritual knowing. The mythic hero endures hardships and separation from the clan to enter a strange and unfamiliar world. Facing both external and internal obstacles, the hero confronts fears, as well as external challenges to ensure survival. Conquering the forces rallied against them, heroes emerge as their authentic selves, victorious and empowered. The hero returns to the tribe and shares the rewards of the adventure with all.
*KNOW THYSELF:*
To fully know yourself is a lifelong journey. Begin by looking inward, and gradually go deeper. Spend quiet time with yourself (as corny as that may sound).
Look at your strengths and your weaknesses. Be still long enough to sense the relative silence, and listen to what you might hear for the first time. Review your beliefs and what you stand for. Better yet, consider what or who you would die for.
If you’re afraid of what you might see and hear, that’s all the more reason to look and listen. It is the very strife and struggle of coming to know ourselves that gives our lives meaning and significance.
*Mentor:* Coaches and mentors are now, and should always be, key individuals in your life. They have traveled the path and illuminate your way toward life mastery.
The mentor shares experience, imparts wisdom, and conveys values. The mentor is the keeper of folklore, myths, and other life-shaping stories. Think of the wise old woman or man who has walked the path ahead of the hero and knows both the dangers and the secrets of a safe and fruitful passage. Preparing the hero for the tests, trials, and ordeals that lie ahead, the mentor implements training that provides essential lessons for the hero.
Mentors endow the hero with requisite knowledge and gifts that would take a lifetime to acquire. Your gift may be limited to knowledge and wisdom. For longer, more demanding journeys, you’ll need something closer to divine intervention. This gift is one you need to earn. Most often, it is the exact thing you need in your darkest moment. Whatever the gift may be, the most important attribute you gain from it is confidence.
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” These words of wisdom date back to 150 BC and were written by the Indian sage Patañjali, compiler of the Yoga Sūtras.
Most of us want things to be different, but few of us are willing to change. Unlike the snake, we’re not ready to shed a familiar and comfortable skin. We know that when we change, we outgrow our former selves and must leave something behind.
Part of us dies or, at the very least, is abandoned in favor of a new and better self. There is a price for renewal, and payment is exacted at the point of transformation.
*BORN TO FLOURISH:*
Contrary to how the world is presented to you on a daily basis, regardless of the number of obstacles placed in front of you, no matter what challenges you face each day, know this: You were born to flourish.
*YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND*
Expanding the Power of Your Personal Genie The genie we all have inside us is awaiting our instructions and ready to grant our every wish. If you’re not where you want to be in your life, what commands are you giving your genie? Listen to this enchanting tale embroiling your greatest ally and your worst enemy.
*THANK YOU*